Worcester and Droitwich Branch
women really want to know how
they are “progressing” and in this
case you may decide that a VE is
a positive thing for you. But consider what you‟ll feel if your dilation
isn‟t as much as you‟d hoped,
given that it doesn‟t actually mean
much anyway! Provided that there
is some progression, given plenty of time, while mum is
managing ok, and baby seems well, what‟s the problem? VEs can also be useful for checking on the position of your baby if there is good reason to feel that his
or her position isn‟t optimal. However, again, what will
you do with that information? Changing position by listening to what your body is saying to do can help a baby
to move into a better position, and you don‟t need to
know where you baby is to do this if you are able to just
move freely as you want to. Not On Your Back – unless
your body clearly tells you that‟s where you feel best!
At no other time in our lives would we accept that someone else has autonomy over our body. When we are
giving birth, nothing changes. It is STILL our own body,
still our own choice what happens to it and our own
choice about what interventions, if any, are right for us.
Birth may not always be how we want it to be. We are
incredibly lucky to live in a time and place where we
have the ability to choose to accept obstetric interventions when needed. But don‟t ever forget – we always
have the right to choose or decline what is offered to us
in birth. That is the part of our birth plans which can
never be taken away from us.
Worcester and Droitwich Branch Autumn 2015
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